LG: Ummm No, the Snapdragon 810 is Not Overheating

Yesterday, another report surfaced suggesting that Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 810 chip has not performed well in testing due to overheating and will be passed on by Samsung in favor of an Exynos chip for the Galaxy S6. These rumors have persisted over the past few months through Korean news outlets, even though Qualcomm has suggested time and time again that no issue is holding back their roadmap, which includes the Snapdragon 810 in new devices from companies like LG. In fact, the LG G Flex 2, a device we spent some time with at CES, runs the 810 and is scheduled to launch in Korea in a week.

After hearing the report, LG’s VP of mobile product planning told Reuters that he is aware of the 810 concerns, but that they are “quite” satisfied with its performance in the G Flex 2. He even went as far as to say that he doesn’t “understand why there is a issue over heat” and that the new product emits less heat than other existing devices.

So what’s the deal? Qualcomm says their roadmap for the Snapdragon 810 is on schedule. LG is using the 810 in the G Flex 2, which will launch on January 30. HTC has long-been-rumored to use the 810 in their new flagship that will be unveiled on March 1. That sounds to me like the processor is fine. Why is Korean press so set on trying to takedown the Snapdragon 810? We could dive into conspiracy theories, but I’ll instead take the high road.

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I would imagine that it could possibly be due to the QHD display that the S6 is rumored to have. Maybe TouchWiz if it required that much extra power or something.

JD

I hope someone stress tests this next to Samsung’s latest Exynos and see which one has the higher thermal limit.

Asmodai

Here’s what the deal is. Qualcomm dropped the ball on 64bit and they don’t have a core ready. The Snapdragons that have dominated recently were using the Qualcomm custom designed Krait cores not the ARM designed Cortex cores that others were using (including Samsung). Qualcomm doesn’t have a 64bit successor to Krait yet though, nothing even announced let alone shipping. The 810 uses a licensed ARM Cortex design which means it’s the same core design Samsung is using so there is no point in buying chips from someone else. Furthermore if the rumors are true and Samsung has managed to put a 14nm CPU in the Galaxy S6 then their design likely does run cooler and faster than the 20nm 810. Clocking a 20nm Snapdragon 810 to the same clock as a Samsung 14nm Exynos would likely result in the 810 overheating.

Ian Case

Not necessarily. The GPU could be worse in the Exynos. The modems may be flakier. If the Exynos are so superior, why have they barely shipped any Exynos to the US? Could it be that they infringe on patents or something? I’m speculating, but why make 2 different versions of the same phones generation after generation when you have an in house chip that you claim is superior? Why is the Exynos Octa based Galaxy Tab S not any faster than the SD800 based Galaxy Tab Pro?

Asmodai

Maybe the GPU is worse in the Exynos, I didn’t say it wasn’t. Maybe the modems are flakier, again I didn’t say it wasn’t. 32bit Exynos was NOT superior to Krait but there is no 64bit Krait. Exynos uses the exact same CPU design as Qualcomm in the 810. They are BOTH using the 64-bit Cortex designs licensed from ARM. Given the EXACT SAME core design then yes, a die shrink DOES guarantee the CPU will either use less power and generate less heat at the same performance, or they can clock it up until it uses the similar power and generates similar heat and gain a performance boost. Norwood P4 and Prescott P4 are not the EXACT SAME core design. Maybe Qualcomm will come out with a 64bit Krait++ CPU that will blow away the ARM Cortex design eventually but that’s not now and that’s not what the 810 is.
If it is indeed true (and again it’s a rumor so maybe it isn’t) that Samsung has managed to make a 14nm SoC for the Galaxy S6 that’s huge. Supposedly it does have CAT 6 LTE so maybe it’s modem isn’t that bad. If the GPU and modem are 14nm they could even have a slightly worse clock for clock design and still win but we don’t know that. In any event I’m not saying they definitely beat Qualcomm IN EVERY RESPECT. I’m just saying the lower processes with the same CPU could explain what Samsung perceives as a heat issue because the 20nm chip can’t run as fast as the 14nm chip. Furthermore even if Exynos isn’t stronger in EVERYTHING it can be strong enough to not justify Samsung buying chips from someone else for their own devices. It’s taken them a while to work the kinks out of Exynos but with the move to 64bit they look like they may finally have figured it out. Plus with the die shrink and Qualcomm’s lack of internally designed Krait successor it may just be Samsung’s time to shine.
I’m not rooting for Samsung. My current phone has a Snapdragon and I like my phone. Samsung’s phones tend to have a ton of software bloat. But I’m disappointed that Qualcomm doesn’t have a Krait successor and I’m impressed if the rumors ARE true if Samsung managed to get a 14nm design up and running and can produce them in enough quantity to sell them worldwide.

Mark Aaron Collado

“Hate us cuz they Ain’t us” ^_^

Jarred Sutherland

Companies and news outlets lie all the time about stuff. Qualcomm wouldn’t want bad news leaking about their new line because that makes investors upset. LG has already put much work into a device utilizing the product and wouldn’t want investors hearing about it as well. The only way to really find out is to wait and see how it all shakes out in the end. Assuming that a news outlet is lying based on corporations with reputation and money at stake is hardly a sound basis for decision making.

This has to put a dent in Qualcomm’s earnings this year. I know I’ll never buy anything but LG and HTC from here on out.

Colin Huber

On the verge of hitting the market, of course LG’s VP is going to come right out and say they have had no problems with the chip.

LionStone

And of course he wouldn’t lie about it because it will be outed very soon and if there are issues then that would be extremely bad for business.

Colin Huber

True.

David

Isn’t Exynos Samsung’s processor?
I used a Samsung Chromebook with this processor and I was really displeased with it.

hoosiercub88

Exynos is very much Samsung’s processor. It also has, in the past, caused issues with having different hardware versions of phones due to incompatibility with their chipsets.

Seems to me that Samsung is just trying to knock Qualcomm off the top of the mobile chipset market with a smear campaign. I mean it’s not like there’s a lot of competition, HTC? Qualcomm, Samsung? Qualcomm, Motorola? Qualcomm, LG? Qualcomm..

To be fair to the Chromebook though, it was underwhelmingly underpowered to begin with in that state, the Exynos SoCs of now can be very powerful Octacore Big/Little monsters.

Black on white crime

Same here, I returned mine after a week.

guest

According to this from CNBC, Samsung Electronics is South Koreas biggest company. I’m sure Samsung has nothing to gain if they report that the chip every one of their competitors phone is inferior to their own .

Like I joking said on AP.. but now I’m starting to think maybe it isn’t a joke.

I blame TouchWiz.

Magistos

I don’t mind the latest iteration of TouchWiz (I have a Note 4), but my first thought was “programming error”, too.

Chad

I mean, it would be a HORRIBLE move on LG’s part to admit that there are problems this close to launch.

epps720

Not gonna lie, the G Flex looks pretty nice in that photo.

Jprime

those lollipop buttons though….but I agree, nice phone.

senor_heisenberg

They should’ve gone with the final lollipop buttons which are smaller. Those big ones look bad.

Tony B

Glad the headline was fixed…

It was a little confusing…

Suicide_Note

Samsung has been the top dog, but probably is feeling the heat from LG and the Chinese OEMs. Their solution is to badmouth the product those companies are putting out.

Tyler Durden

But the masses will herd to the nearest store to buy one.

shelooga

i see what you did there

d-rock

Hasn’t Samsung been busted before for paying people to badmouth HTC? Sounds pretty typical Samsung. They are even dirtier than Apple. At least Apple has too much ego to think they even need to do this to competitors.

Dave Amburn

It’s an excuse for Samsung to use their own processor. No money lost from having to buy from Qualcomm

Adrynalyne

Why do they need an excuse? Lower cost is reason enough.

Though I do suspect that the report was created to lower Qualcomm stock and bolster Samsung’s, which is exactly what happened.

Tyler Durden

Then they wouldn’t go on making up “overheating” problems

Adrynalyne

Again, why do they need to “make up” anything? If they want to use Exynos, then they can do it and move on, increasing their profit. This was a ploy to manipulate stock prices.

Tyler Durden

They are making up problems that don’t exist. They should have just switched to the Exynos and kept their mouth shut.

Adrynalyne

Why do that when you can pay someone to “leak” info that increases stock prices?

Free money.

Jon D.

you and butch still developing?

Adrynalyne

Not sure what Butchie is up to these days. I talk to him probably once a week on Hangouts, but not about development stuff. I myself have moved on to application development, though almost solely for the company I work for.

Tyler Durden

Hopefully this effs up sales. It’s already going down thankfully.

Black on white crime

I don’t call ‘m samscum for nothing!

Tyler Durden

Samsung is just a group of incompetent pricks trying to push their own agenda

Adrynalyne

A business trying to push their own agenda. Color me shocked.

Tyler Durden

lol, building their own OS that copies iOS and Android, and using their own processors. I’ll be glad when they leave.

You are correct, but when Android users try to go use a new non-Android Samsung Flagship only to find that it isn’t like their last Galaxy S device.. the backlash will be whimsical. Samsung knows they can’t run their own ecosystem, it just won’t work. They need Android OS as much as Android needed them initially with the big push past the Moto Droid era.